Yule Balls and Old Foes

Chapter 6

A/N: Terrible attempt at poetry ahead. Leave your guesses as to who may "Nick" be. HEHEHE

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A large enchanted board appeared at the grounds. Professor Ronen was grinning proudly as crowds of sixth-years were gathering around. The board had each of the names of the sixth years of every house. "For the next assignment, sixth years, all of you are supposed to learn how to cast non-verbal spells this year," He declared. "Which brings us to this little game."

"Are we supposed to summon our names from these boards?" Charlotte asked.

"Not quite," The grin on his face grew wider. "Now, I am aware that this year is when we are having the Yule Ball. Fortunately, we've got an even number of boys and girls. With that in mind, I want you to summon, non-verbally, your name and the name of the person you would like to get to know better. Asking them to the ball isn't necessary, but at least you will make a new friend!"

Norah felt a strong pang of anxiety as everyone started whispering to themselves. Some of them were even giggling, in the hopes of being able to summon the name of the person they wanted.

"I don't know how to feel about that," Natty looked just as anxious.

Poppy, however, looked a little more confident. "I wonder who's going to summon mine. I already know who I'm going to call," She said, a shy smile playing across her features at the thought. "Don't you have anyone in mind, you're the best in Charms, Natty."

"But to practically walk up to summon the name of the person you might like, people will know," Natty said.

"That's part of the fun, isn't it?" Poppy smiled, looking back at the board. "It's going to be fun!"

Amit looked amazed. "I never took Poppy Sweeting to be such a romantic."

"You just have to get to know me better, Amit," The Hufflepuff pointed out.

"This is a side of Poppy Sweeting that we rarely get to see," Natty teased. "If she's not hanging about the beasts in the pens, she's probably going to be summoning a name soon."

"What happens if your name has already been summoned?" one Ravenclaw raised their hand.

"Good question," Professor Ronen had a skip in his step as he waved his wand over the board. "If your name was summoned before you had a chance to do so, then you will have another assignment. You will non-verbally summon the note behind your names on the other side of this board, which will give you a clue as to who your summoner may be. You will have until the end of the week to do so. And by the end of the week, you can finally meet them."

Just in time for the Gryffindor house party, they all thought. Norah sighed, looking up at the green board with her name written in silver. She wondered who might be the one who could summon her name, and maybe it would be who she was hoping for.

Once Professor Ronen stood aside, the crowd of Gryffindors stepped forward to try their hand in summoning the names. "Remember! Concentration is key!" He said, observing them.

"Thought of summoning Weasley's name yet?" Sebastian teased. He hadn't let Norah's Hogsmeade run-in with Garreth go, something she was beginning to suspect was out of jealousy. He hoped that she wouldn't but he knew his way of convincing her out of it wasn't working. There wasn't any other way he knew how to say it, without him fully confessing his feelings for her.

Norah rolled her eyes. "Have you?" She teased back, making Ominis laugh. "If you've been wondering so much, maybe you should probably summon his name."

Sebastian frowned, which Ominis sensed, making him laugh harder. "I believe Norah has a point," He said, wiping the tears from his eyes as they started to make their way back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower. "But I think our little skirmish with the ashwinders in Keenbridge seems to have tested us with non-verbal casting. I think we'd pass Ronen's homework."